The Tributes (Sable)

Warnings and Threats

It was the girl with the pearls and the dark bags under her eyes. 

She was leaning slightly forward in her chair, hands gripping the armrests like she was trying to crush them beneath her fingers. Her eyes were glaring right at the Queen, reminding Sable of the way that blonde man at court had glared at the Queen. Only, while the man had merely looked defiant and challenging, this girl was looking at the Queen absolutely murderously; like she was aching to attack her, to end her. 

Sable took a glance at her left hand on the armrest -- a hand that had its fingers spread like claws and was squeezing the life out of the wood she was gripping -- then back at her expression.

She looked like she wanted to kill the Queen with her own bare hands. Quite possibly by strangling her.

Sable would be lying if she said she wasn't disturbed by what she was seeing. For, this didn't look like the automatic hatred most people felt for the Black Queen. This wasn't even the self-righteous anger most people displayed when they talked about the Black Queen's deserved downfall and how the gods were against her and how she'd ruined the kingdom and everyone's lives in general.

This looked downright personal.

"On another note," the Queen went on casually, as Sable was subtly surveying the girl, "it's a common occurrence that one or more of you might harbor thoughts of assassinating me."

Sable jerked as the words registered, her eyes and entire attention snapping to the Queen in shock.

The next second, she wanted to kick herself for the reaction; she knew it would make her look guilty of precisely what the Queen had said. But her body had reacted to her surprise before her mind had caught up.

Sure enough, Sable saw the Queen's gaze on her again. And while, when there was a room full of girls, there might be a slight chance that the Queen was looking at some other girl seated in the same vicinity as Sable, she didn't entertain any thought of being that lucky.

Rather, with her luck, the Queen had probably pinned her as one of the people who had come with the intention of trying to kill her.

Sable would have laughed at the idea if she wasn't so frightened at the moment. Because she could truly think of many less painful ways of damning herself than trying to murder the Black Queen. She had barely been able to get away from the shepherd and his staff one night in her village when he'd accused her of stealing his sheep. And he'd been as high and as drunk as a dying skunk at the time – completely unsteady on his feet and barely able to see straight.

So she certainly wasn't harboring any delusions about how she'd fare against someone whom even trained assassins hadn't been able to take out for years.

"I do not care for those thoughts," went on the Back Queen after a moment, shifting her gaze to the others in the room and allowing Sable to breathe again. "However, I will remind you that a good number of people – both previous tributes and trained mercenaries – have tried before you. And now, all of them are dead instead."

There was an ominous pause in the room after that, like the Queen was ensuring that her words had properly sunk into her audience.

"Your thoughts, however, do not interest me. So if you are one of my would-be assassins, but give up on such plans, you will live and be able to take full advantage of everything you'll be provided here.

"If not, you will die."

The Queen's gaze swept through the room again, alighting on some of the girls longer than most, Sable and her neighbor included.

Sable was frozen in her seat, half wondering whether she should nod in compliance when the Queen's gaze landed on her. But if she did, she would be indirectly admitting to having had such a plan in the first place. So she could only sit there, unable to do anything except keep still and pour as much fear and submission into her expression as possible.

It was actually damn easy to do.

"Any of you might want to kill me for a variety of reasons," the Queen spoke on, directing her attention to the entire room again. "Whatever those reasons are, I do not care. As my tributes, you will be under my direct protection. But, if you make an attempt on my life – no matter how foolish or ridiculous or skilled – you will die. If you collaborate with the assassins and mercenaries who are no doubt waiting both outside and inside the palace to end me, you will die."

The Queen's speech was perfectly matter-of-fact, sounding just like she might have if she was stating that the sky was blue and the grass was green.

Though, from the terrified silence that permeated the room... it was more than enough.

"Keep your attempts at assassination in your fantasies alone, however, and you will live. Take what you can from the training you receive without being a wretch to your peers, and you will live. Perhaps, even thrive."

With that, the Queen's eyes rose to the back of the room and gave a nod, before standing without warning and startling all the tributes.

"That is all for now. Remain seated. In a few moments, you will be taken to your rooms. Do not leave them. Do not bother trying to escape. Do not leave your quarters today or tomorrow at all, unless you're specifically called out. If you require something, there will be a rope in your rooms to ring for your assigned maid. Ask your questions to them if you have any, and get yourselves settled. Your training will begin tomorrow."

And then she swept from the room, leaving through the main doors with no escort or company, the guards opening the doors for her immediately on command.

* * *

AN: 

The Black Queen: Do not foolishly attempt to kill me unless you want to die. 

Sable: Madam, I wouldn't win against a dying skunk. Please stop looking at me.